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苦口婆心

Mandarin · pinyin kǔ kǒu pó xīn

earnest and well-meaning advice (idiom); to persuade patiently

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Characters in this entry

苦: kǔ · bitter; hardship, suffering
口: kǒu · mouth; open end; entrance, gate
婆: pó · old woman; grandmother
心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)

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Mandarin tones

3–3–2–1 · ku3 kou3 po2 xin1

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fu2 hau2 po4 sam1

Cantonese word readings for 苦口婆心. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to persuade earnestly and patiently

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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